Elevate Tahoe: Food Innovations at 6,000 Feet

The food industry is evolving, and quickly. With concerns about the methods and sustainability with which food is grown, it’s no wonder that farmers markets, community supported agriculture programs, and food hubs are increasing in popularity. But food in Tahoe presents additional challenges, from harsh growing conditions to difficulty in transporting produce up here to the high costs of groceries in a tourist-based economy. While some may write off sustainable food sourcing in the mountains as unrealistic, there are others that see these obstacles as just that —hurdles begging to be overcome. From foraging native edibles to growing 7 feet underground, connecting with farmers right over the hill, and utilizing the estimated 280 days of sunlight that grace Tahoe each year, these individuals and organizations are making strides to elevate how Tahoe eats.

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Backyard Bounty

Gathering fresh horse manure, harvesting laundry baskets of tomatoes, and tending to a small flock of hens are all part of daily life for SunMie Won, a Truckee resident with a penchant for disproving the notion that you can’t farm in Tahoe. A mother of two and a web programmer, Won has spent the past 14 years working on a farming operation to provide for her family, right in her backyard in Prosser. She’s experimented with different types of garden beds, finding year-round success with cold frames and with using heat from fresh horse manure to keep seedling roots warm and happy. Her individual gardening efforts all stem from the desire to cut food costs, be more self-sufficient, and have immediate access to über-fresh produce — plus she cans extra produce to keep her family fed during the winter. Through her years of gardening trial and error, Won demonstrates that it is very possible to grow food in Tahoe, though it requires a bit more effort and creativity than growing in lower altitudes with more predictable weather. Won shares her knowledge and advice through clinics and events often organized by Slow Food Lake Tahoe so more residents can realize their Sierra gardening dreams. Read Won’s Gardening Manifesto for Tahoe here.

Photos by Evan Buzzell and Scott Thompson

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Harvesting the Forest

What do manzanita and elderberry have in common? They’re native to the Tahoe region and their berries are edible, containing more than three times the antioxidants as blueberries and pomegranates. Incorporating native edibles into diet and landscaping seems logically sustainable, especially comparing the efforts required to grow non-natives, like tomatoes, versus native plants that are conditioned to thrive in high desert conditions. Based outside of Nevada City in an off-the-grid home, foraging expert Alicia Funk believes exactly that. Funk researches nutritional facts by sending foraged samples to labs across the country, gathers traditional medicinal uses from native peoples, and shares creative recipes and landscaping advice — berries from manzanita plants, for example, only need to be ground and sifted for use as sugar or gluten-free flour. Take a walk in the woods with Funk, or join one of her foraging events or workshops, and she’s sure to educate you about the bounty that grows naturally in the Sierra. Through her brand The Living Wild, which includes a book about the gardening, cooking, and medicinal uses of native plants and an online store full of native ingredients, crafts, and more, Funk is reviving the ancient practice of foraging, putting a spin on how people view food’s origins and accessibility.

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Food Shed Security

With Tahoe’s non-farming mentality, convincing individuals and business owners that it’s possible to source produce within a 100-mile radius can be a challenge. But as director of the local nonprofit the Tahoe Food Hub, Susie Sutphin works to educate the community about food security and all the benefits — social, economic, and environmental — of sustaining a local food shed. Sutphin and the Food Hub seek out small organic farms within 100 miles and connect their goods with the Tahoe area’s grocery stores, restaurants, and farmers markets, sharing stories of each farmer, like that of farmer Ruthanne Johda (pictured in orange) with produce buyers. The Food Hub also demonstrates that growing produce year-round is possible, even at 6,000 feet, with the Sierra Agroecology Center, which includes a large geodesic greenhouse, cold frames, chickens, and beehives located in Glenshire on property owned by the Kelly family, founders of the Food Hub.

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Growing For the People

Located in the largest alpine valley in the western hemisphere, Gary Romano is tilling the soil and growing organic just like his family has done for generations. Romano’s Sierra Valley Farms supplies the Reno/Tahoe region with produce grown right outside of Sierraville, hosts a Dinner in the Barn series, and has the only on-farm farmers market in California. Growing to supply local demand in a climate that is as extreme as the Sierra’s requires that Romano grows a range of cold and warmer season crops, both in greenhouses and in fields. He’s also had to learn the rhythms of local deer populations so that his crops are done producing before the herds come to graze. Romano is also working with a different kind of greenhouse, one that sits 7 feet underground and was built in the 1970s. “The Bunker,” as it’s fondly called, is located approximately 17 miles from Romano’s farm and is owned by one of his former interns. It maintains a temperature between 58 and 62 degrees, allowing for experimentation with year-round production of a bounty of plants, from chard and arugula to strawberries and artichokes. In 2013, Romano compiled his personal experiences and perspectives on the tenuous farming movement in his book, Why I Farm: Risking It All for a Life on the Land.

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Teach the Children Well

The days of kids turning their noses up at vegetables like kale, cabbage, and even turnips could be numbered due to efforts like the statewide program Harvest of the Month. By introducing classrooms of kids to locally grown vegetables and educating them on how good they taste raw, in addition to cooking them in more kid-friendly ways — like kale chips — helps introduce them to healthy eating habits at a younger age. Plus, when the vegetables are brought into the classroom and served by either the farmer that grew them, or a parent with cooking chops like chef Rusty Johns, the experience becomes a fun, delicious vegetable party. Serving the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District, Harvest of the Month is organized by the Nutrition Coalition, which is headed by Maria Martin, a registered dietician at the Tahoe Center for Health and Sports Performance. Along with parents, other local health professionals, and school district members, Martin and the coalition help to bridge the gap between the medical and everyday sides of eating, striving to promote physical and nutritional health for both children and parents.

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These local food innovators are featured in the documentary Elevate Tahoe: Food Innovations at 6,000 Feet, produced by the collaborative effort of Moonshine Ink, Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, and SBS Media House. Join the Tahoe foodie community at the premiere of the film on Saturday Aug. 23 at the Community Arts Center in Truckee. Doors at 6:30 p.m., film at 7:15 p.m. The evening includes drinks and appetizers, informational and interactive booths, and more. For more information, visit our Facebook.